bike culture blogged

The $20.00 cardboard bicycle continues to make news. Unlike most fantasy CAD bike pr0n that light up the design blogs periodically, Reuters reported yesterday that it’s going into production and the inventor says it’s waterproof.

Once the shape has been formed and cut, the cardboard is treated with a secret concoction made of organic materials to give it its waterproof and fireproof qualities. In the final stage, it is coated with lacquer paint for appearance.”

But can you whack it with a pedal wrench? We’re still unwilling to suspend our disbelief at this bike, but curious why it’s got such legs in the press and how does it ride? Vertically stiff and horizontally compliant? If the inventor dropped the $20.00 price and claimed it was a hundred or two, it’d sound a bit less kooky. Brakes, levers, cables, crank?, pedals?, tires, belt drive, even at OEM pricing, have already exceeded the $20.00 price tag.